Screw cap

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a screw cap for a drinks bottle, said cap comprising a lower piece with internal thread for screwing to a drinks bottle and an upper piece. The bottle has an interior for filled products, in particular for dental care products which is completely sealable by means of a sealing piece. The above comprises a sealing piece which may be set in a first position in which the interior is sealed and in a second position in which a filled product may be removed from the interior.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a screw cap and a beverage container having a screw cap.

Despite increasing dental hygiene, in particular for children, one can still observe wide-spread tooth deterioration caused in particular by beverages common for children and adolescents. Apart from cavities, in particular so-called erosion plays a role, where the enamel is etched due to high acidity of food or drinks and the teeth are thereby subjected to erosions over large surfaces. Although regular tooth brushing counteracts this phenomenon, an effective protection, in particular for children, is difficult to achieve because the frequency at which the mentioned drinks are consumed is far higher than the number of daily dental care treatments. The teeth are therefore exposed to corresponding acids without protection for several hours until they are brushed again.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a possibility by which tooth protection, in particular for children and adolescents, can be improved without increased disciplination, such as the increase of the frequency of dental hygiene, being necessary.

The basis of the invention is in particular the finding that it is difficult in particular with children to completely avoid the consumption of common drinks, such as sodas, cola drinks, soft drinks, ice tea, sports drinks and fruit juices with their high acidities, or to always take care to sufficiently perform dental hygiene after the consumption of these drinks. The invention is furthermore based on the finding that a permanent improvement can only be effected by “playful measures”, and that in particular, modifications to beverage containers are desirable so that children and adolescents alike understand and enjoy the changes and benefits as real additions and not as bothersome evil, such as for example tooth brushing.

That means, if a dental care product in the form of refreshing pearls, chewing gums, etc. is added to the beverage container, in particular children and adolescents will positively “jump” at these additions and consume them after drinking. If now it is taken care that these added dental care products have a positive influence on the mentioned acidity at the tooth, negative consequences arising from the consumption of soft drinks etc. at the tooth can be largely eliminated.

The present invention is furthermore based on the finding that such additions have to be professionally packed to fulfill corresponding prescriptions as to life.

In the manner according to the invention, these additions are therefore packed in the interior of the screw cap so that they are completely enclosed. By means of a sealing piece, the user can then remove the filled product by shifting or rotating the sealing piece to a predetermined position. It is moreover preferably possible to subsequently completely seal the interior, in particular in case further filled products are located in the interior for later use.

In the manner according to the invention, the additions are accommodated in a screw cap and not in a cork or crown cork. The reason is that during the closing of the bottle, a pressure has to be exerted from above, i.e. in the axial direction, which could damage the enclosed additions or the encapsulated interior. By the rotary motion, no forces are exerted on the interior and thus on the space to be protected.

The additions are, as mentioned, in particular dental care products, such as sugar-free chewing gums, refreshing platelets, refreshing pearls, sucking lozenges, etc. Preferably, each of these products has the property of counteracting an acidic environment caused at the enamel by soft drinks etc. and thus effectively eliminating a hazardous effect of such drinks on the enamel. Preferably, the products should thus be used after the consumption of the drink.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Below, with reference to the following figures, preferred embodiments of the screw cap according to the invention will be illustrated more in detail. The figures show in detail:

FIG. 1 a side view of three cap variants in a screwed open state;

FIG. 2 a plan view of the three bottles shown in FIG. 1 for representing further details of the respective caps;

FIGS. 3 to 5 detailed views of the three caps shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and

FIGS. 6 to 9 further schematic variants for the screw cap according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows three preferred variants for the cap according to the invention. Caps 1, 2 and 3 are each screwed to a beverage container 4, which preferably consists of plastics. The screwing is performed by means of an external thread 5 of the beverage containers 4. Correspondingly, the caps 1 to 3 comprise corresponding internal threads in a lower piece. The internal threads are not shown in the representation. Besides the lower piece bearing the internal thread, the caps 1 to 3 each comprise an interior which can be completely sealed by a sealing piece. Details of the sealing pieces are represented in FIGS. 3 to 5 and will be illustrated more in detail below.

FIG. 2 shows the beverage containers represented in FIG. 1 from above. One can see the sealing pieces 6, 7 and 8 at the screw caps 1, 2 and 3. It should be noted that the sealing pieces 6 and 7 of the two first variants can be shifted in at least two different positions, a first position in which the interior is completely sealed, and a second position in which the products situated in the interior can be removed. In contrast, the sealing piece 8 of the cap 3 is embodied such that this sealing piece is rotatable and can thus be brought to different positions by means of a rotational position, i.e. a sealing position and a removal position.

Details to the first variant can be taken from FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the cap 1 is shown with its sealing piece 6. The sealing piece 6 can be shifted in a notch or a channel 9 on the upper side of the screw cap. Preferably, the sealing piece 6 comprises a corrugation 10 to facilitate shifting by means of a finger. In the position which is shown in FIG. 3, the interior 11 of the screw cap is completely sealed. Therefore, the indicated refreshing pearls 12 cannot fall out. These refreshing pearls contain a liquid counteracting to an acidic climate in the mouth caused by soft drinks etc. and can thus prevent caries and erosion at the enamel.

As indicated in FIG. 3, the screw cap is preferably at least in the upper piece transparent so that the user can see which addition is contained in the interior of the cap. As indicated, a plurality of such pearls or chewing gums or lozenges can be contained in the interior of the screw cap. Moreover, one can see that the shiftable sealing piece 6 can be repeatedly brought to the sealing position, so that after each removal, the products not yet removed are protected from falling out or from contamination.

For taking one of the refreshing pearls 12 from the interior 11 of the screw cap 1, the sealing piece 6 has to be shifted towards the other side of the screw cap along the surface of the screw cap in the groove 9. In this position, the sealing piece 6 then unblocks an opening 13 at the upper side of the screw cap through which a refreshing pearl 12 can be removed, as is shown in FIG. 3A. Preferably, the diameter of the opening 13 is dimensioned such that despite forceful shaking, only one pearl falls out, i.e. the diameter of the opening 13 is only a little larger than the diameter of the pearl itself.

FIGS. 4 and 4A show a similar variant, which however differs from FIGS. 3 and 3A in that the sealing piece 7 extends over the complete upper side of the screw cap, so that in the displaced state, as it is shown in FIG. 4A, a portion of the sealing piece 7 extends beyond the dimensions of the screw cap. FIG. 4 shows that the sealing piece 7 itself comprises a recess 14 due to its length, which recess then corresponds to a corresponding opening of the interior situated below when the sealing piece 7 is displaced, as it is shown in FIG. 4A, so that the removal of a product situated in the interior through both openings is permitted. As is shown in FIG. 4, a pearl cannot fall out in that position as there is the recess 14 of the sealing piece 7, which, however, is not aligned with the opening of the interior situated below. This variant moreover has the advantage that the user exactly knows when the lid is correctly sealed, as only in the sealed state, the sealing piece 7 lies flush on the upper side of the lid. In contrast, in the opened state, the sealing piece 7 projects beyond the dimensions of the screw cap to one side. In FIG. 4A, one can clearly see that the sealing piece 7 moves in a channel 15.

Another variant is that represented in FIG. 5. As already described with reference to FIG. 2, in this variant the sealing piece 8 has a rotatable design and can be rotated about the axis of the screw cap. For removing a filled product situated in the interior, a recess 16 has to be brought in alignment with a recess of the interior situated below. Then, a pearl etc. placed therein can be removed. If this position is consumed, by continuing rotation in the direction of the arrow, one can achieve that the recess 16 corresponds to the next recess of the interior, so that the next pearl can be taken out. In this state, the previous recess is then again sealed by the sealing piece 8. This variant thus ensures that maximally one pearl at a time can be removed, wherein a position where all interiors are sealed and the opening 16 of the sealing piece 8 is at a position where it does not correspond to an opening situated below the same is also possible.

In the variant according to FIG. 5, the interior situated below is preferably structured, i.e. it is subdivided into many small individual spaces each containing one filled product, such as, for example, a refreshing pearl. Naturally, this variant can also be designed such that only one interior is provided, which, however, contains several pearls or other filled products, and the removal thus takes place always at the same recess.

It is common to all three embodiments that the manufacture is extremely easy. In the simplest case, each of the shown three variants can be manufactured by two individual pieces, i.e. by a basic body and a sealing piece.

Although, as described above, as filled product dental care products are preferably provided which have the mentioned medical effect of combating a too acidic environment at the enamel, theoretically also any arbitrary filled articles can be packed to the interior of the screw cap. As a screw cap has been selected, these articles are not subjected to increased pressure when the bottle is screwed open.

The bottles can in particular be PET bottles. Just when these are filled with beer, as common today, filled products for subsequent dental hygiene are particularly relevant.

Further embodiments of the screw cap according to the invention are shown in FIGS. 6 to 9.

In the sealing piece 17 in FIG. 6, the interior is optionally closed or opened by a lid 18. The filled product, in this case chewing gums 19, is situated at a level permitting an easy removal after the lid 18 has been opened.

The screw cap 20 in FIG. 6 comprises a kind of lid 21 where the filled products, in this case chewing gums 22, are already situated. The sealing piece 21 has a drum shaped design, its axis extending in parallel to the upper side of the cap. The sealing piece 21 can be brought to an open position as shown in FIG. 6 in which the chewing gums 22 can be removed, similar to a revolver. If the sealing piece 21 is tilted downwards into the opening 23 of the screw cap, the filled products are securely protected from falling out or removal as well as from contamination.

In the screw cap 24 of FIG. 6, the filled products, in this case chewing gums 25, are again contained in the lid 26 itself. In contrast to the screw cap 20, here, however, a common lid is chosen which looks like a lid from outside after it has been closed. However, this lid comprises a conical piece 27 towards the inside which can accommodate the chewing gums 25 inside. In all three variants, hinges 28 are situated on the back which permit tilting of the corresponding lids.

In the variant according to FIG. 7, a screw cap 29 is equipped with a lid 30 which can be completely embedded in the screw cap 29. As represented, the sealing piece 30 has the shape of a flap which can completely seal an interior 31 of the screw cap 29 or release the contents 32.

In the variant according to FIG. 8, a similar design is chosen, however, in this screw cap 33 the filled products, in this case chewing gums 34, are contained in the lid 35. The lid 35 is again completely tilted into the screw cap by means of a hinge and is then flush with the same. A corrugation 36 permits a convenient opening to get access to the contents of the interior situated in the lid itself in this case.

Finally, FIG. 9 shows a variant where the screw cap 37 consists of a bottom piece 37 and an upper piece 38. In this variant, one can thus no longer speak of a larger screw cap and a smaller lid, but both pieces approximately have the same size and, after assembly, have a round, preferably egg-shaped, design. After opening, access to the filled products, in this case chewing gums 39, is possible. This variant works without hinge as the pieces 37 and 38 have the same size. Instead, an insertion closure by means of mechanical parts is provided. 

1. Screw cap for a drinks bottle, said screw cap comprising a lower piece with internal thread for screwing to a drinks bottle and an upper piece which comprises an interior for accommodating filled products, in particular dental care products, which is completely sealable by means of a sealing piece, and a sealing piece which may be set in a first position in which it seals the interior and in a second position in which a filled product may be removed from the interior.
 2. Screw cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing piece is embodied as slider which can be shifted within a channel in the upper side of the screw cap, wherein the screw cap comprises an opening which is optionally covered or exposed by the sealing piece.
 3. Screw cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing piece is disk-shaped and rotatably mounted on the upper side of the screw cap, wherein an opening in the disk-shaped sealing piece can correspond to an opening in the sealing piece situated below, so that a removal of a filled product from the interior of the sealing piece can be effected by the correspondingly set openings of the screw cap and the sealing piece.
 4. Screw cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the screw cap is made of plastics.
 5. Screw cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the filled products are refreshing pearls.
 6. Screw cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the filled products are chewing gums.
 7. Screw cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the filled products are refreshing lozenges.
 8. Screw cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the screw cap is at least partially transparent, so that the filled products can be viewed in the interior of the screw cap.
 9. Drinks bottle with screw cap according to claim
 1. 10. Drinks bottle according to claim 9, wherein the drinks bottle is made of plastics and is suited for filling in soft drinks. 